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2006 Demographic Profile is now available - top of page The 2006 Demographic Profile is now available to the public. The Demographic Profile is produced annually by the Economic Development Council of the Bloomington-Normal Area (EDC) and contains a wealth of information and frequently requested statistics on McLean County. This year, the EDC revamped the profile with a more dynamic look, making the data easier to locate and read. The information falls under nine new headings: Important Contacts, Population, Labor, Housing, Income, Quality of Life, Taxes, Retail Data and Transportation. For a free copy of the 2006 Demographic Profile, contact the EDC at (309) 661-6332. The profile can also be downloaded from the EDC’s Web site at www.bnbiz.org/Demographics. |
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Web site updates - top of page In the past few weeks, we have been updating a lot of the information on the EDC website. Here's a list of the updated items: Demographics: Demographic Profile 2006 is available in PDF format online. Demographics/Labor Market: Industry Employment Projections, Employment Trends 1, Wage Data Demographics/Major Employers: Major Employers list Demographics/Construction Trends: Construction Trends Transportation/Regional Characteristics: Commuting Patterns Transportation/Air Services: Central Illinois Regional Airport information Quality of Life/Education: Some of the area school district information has been updated. We are in the process of updating the enrollment, expenditure, etc. information for each individual school. Quality of Life/Cost of Living: Consumer Price Index and ACCRA Cost of Living Index |
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Biloxi, Mississippi - top of page by Marty Vanags The International Economic Development Council recently asked me to be part of a team to assist hurricane-affected businesses get back on their feet. I spent a week in Biloxi, Gulfport and Ocean Springs, Miss. working with the Southern Mississippi University Business Assistance Center. The Center is a permanent group that assists companies in the area with economic development. My job was to go “door-to-door” and ask companies and businesses if they needed any assistance and if they were aware of the different programs that were available. Most businesses I encountered were aware of the programs but many chose not to participate. The programs mostly consisted of low interest loan programs and a few job training programs and technical assistance program. The biggest complaint of the businesses was the lack of employees for the jobs they had. The service sector and retail sector were most affected by this problem. Restaurants, stores and small shops had few potential employees to choose from. Most attribute that problem to the fact that housing was still a problem. The devastation along the coast was hard to fathom. All along the Mississippi coast entire neighborhoods, homes and buildings were washed away. Those that still remained standing, for the most part, were scheduled to be torn down due to the totality of the damage. The coast was busy with redevelopment work, with much of it on the casinos. The casino industry was hit hard, but many are now open. I’ve included pictures below. I have more pictures if others want to see them. Please contact me.
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New board member - top of page The EDC would like to welcome our newest board member representing State Farm Insurance Companies – Dennis Cler. Dennis Cler was born and raised in Pesotum, IL (15 miles south of Champaign). After graduating from Tolono Unity High School, he received a bachelor’s degree (1982) and a master’s degree (1984) in mathematics from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill. Dennis came to Bloomington 21 years ago, beginning a career with State Farm. His work experience has included seven years as an auto pricing actuary and 14 years in financial and operational reporting, planning and analysis for State Farm. Dennis is currently a manager over those functions for Illinois, Indiana and Michigan and is located in the Illinois Operations Center for State Farm. Within the Bloomington-Normal community, Dennis has participated in the St. Jude Run to Peoria for the past nine years. This event helps to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis and its Midwest Affiliate in Peoria. Dennis is currently a co-chair of that event’s organizing committee, also serving as the event’s treasurer. He is also a regular participant in the Red Cross blood drives around B-N. Dennis is a member of St. Patrick’s Church of Merna and helped with fundraising activities to expand the church’s capacity (currently under construction). Dennis is married to Jane and has three children: Katie (17), Stacie (13) and Sam (10). We look forward to Dennis’ insight considering his knowledge and experience in measurement, performance and financial analysis. Welcome aboard, Dennis. |
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Incubator project - top of page At the beginning of May, I attended the National Business Incubator Association Conference in St. Louis. Also attending were members of the Illinois State University Research and Sponsored Programs staff. We were there to learn about and develop additional information on how to create an incubator. We attended sessions on incubator development, marketing and operational issues, along with angel investing and other capital formation strategies. Working with staff from Illinois State University, we are developing a long-term business plan and pro-forma financial statements and gathering information on project costs in order to solidify our plans for this project. We have visited many interesting and compelling models of incubators throughout the Midwest. These projects are all successful in some way or another. Incubators serve a very useful purpose and provide a great way to get business off the ground in the communities we visited. The most successful incubators we saw have a strong component of university involvement. The Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development at ISU will be conducting a needs analysis that will help identify the sectors and other groups that will benefit from the incubator program. The incubator project was identified in the strategic plan as a key part of the business infrastructure improvement program. |
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Enterprise Zone - top of page Afni, Inc., the fifth-largest private employer in the county, was recently given approval to allow their Martin Luther King Drive facility to be incorporated into the Enterprise Zone. This allows them to take advantage of the State Utility Tax Credit. With the large number of phone lines serving this facility, being in the Enterprise Zone and being able to take advantage of this exemption will give them a lower cost basis to conduct business in this area. Afni continues to grow and is a good example of a local business with deep roots in the community that continues to have success. Our goals in the area of local business retention and development are part of this effort. In addition to the Afni addition, we are also in the process of assisting the Horizon Wind Energy Twin Groves Wind Farm in a slight modification of the wind farm project. Two windmills and a substation are being required to be moved in order to make way for an FAA microwave beam path. We will be presenting information to the units of local government in the next 30 days to make that slight modification. It does not change the Enterprise Zone expansion that we developed for them in any major way, but it does reduce the size slightly. |
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Peoria Discovery Forum - top of page Peoria Next held their annual Discovery Forum on April 28th. The theme of this year’s interesting and inspiring forum was “Creating through Collaboration.” Each session, or act, focused on a topic such as Collaborations in Public Policy, Collaborations in Art and Education and Collaborations in Technology. Act I, Collaborations in Public Policy, asked the question “How do leading communities collaborate to create innovative policy and drive growth?” Responding to this was John Norquist, former mayor of Milwaukee and president of the Congress for New Urbanism and author of The Wealth of Cities. He showcased several examples of how mixed-use development can reduce sprawl and enhance the quality of life for residents, workers and visitors to a city. Act II, Collaborations in Art and Education, featured Rafe Esquith’s answer to “How can we harness creative collaborations to enlighten our children and enrich our lives?” Esquith, an author of There Are No Shortcuts: Changing the World One Kid at a Time and a teacher at the Hobart Boulevard Elementary School in Los Angeles, presented his successful, creative teaching methods with students whose primary language is not English and who come from poverty-stricken families. His students perform Shakespeare to audiences all over the world and score in the top 5 to 10 percent nationally in standardized tests. “How do collaborations in science and technology converge to impact society, culture and our quality of life?” was the question posed in Act III, Collaborations in Technology. This act featured three speakers: Alan Lightman, scientist and author of several books including Einstein’s Dreams; Martina Newell-McGloughlin, director of the University of California’s Biotechnology Research and Education Program; and Natalie Jeremijenko, a technoartist and professor of engineering at Yale University. Lightman presented the top scientific discoveries of the past century and how they impact our lives. Newell-McGloughlin discussed several biotechnology breakthroughs, such as cloning and other genetic advances. Jeremijenko exhibited her work, including a mechanical goose that was useful in interacting with live geese and interpreting their communication patterns. Each act was followed by a moderated panel discussion that featured the speakers as well as local community leaders and personalities. The Irving School Children’s Choir, the Hobart Shakespeareans, the Heritage Ensemble and the Roosevelt Magnet School Performers also performed in between acts. At lunchtime and following the forum, the Creativity Showcase was open to participants. This expo featured several area organizations promoting creativity, technology and education. The forum concluded with the presentation of the Peoria Prize for Creativity, an award honoring collaborations between the arts and sciences. This year’s recipient was Super Vision, a multimedia theater performance with collaborations between The Builders Association, a performance and media ensemble, and dbox, “a multidisciplinary studio whose work explores the intersection of visual arts and architecture through 3D digital media” (www.superv.org). Super Vision explores the growing use of personal data in a technology-driven world. |
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Real estate information request - top of page To aid in placing incoming businesses within the community, the EDC currently maintains a large database of available properties within McLean County. This database exists on the Location One Information System (LOIS) server, where site location and economic development officials can view and sort available sites that meet their specific criteria. To help with this important end, the EDC requests that anyone with information regarding available buildings or vacant commercial land please forward us that information so we may add to our growing list of available properties. Buildings and sites need not necessarily be large. The majority of businesses the EDC helps to relocate here in McLean County are small businesses. The EDC property database and LOIS are a great opportunity for property owners looking to sell or lease to receive solid leads for possible tenants – and for helping the EDC to aid new and expanding businesses in our community. To see the current list of properties available in Mclean County, click here or simply visit the EDC website. |
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Navigating a New Direction campaign recruiting Development Council members - top of page The Navigating a New Direction Campaign, with Campaign General Chairs Bob Lakin of Commerce Bank and Larry Maschhoff of Bank of Illinois, is in the process of recruiting membership for its Campaign Development Council (CDC). A letter was sent to area business and community leaders from the campaign general chairs along with Development Council co-chairs Dr. Al Bowman, Illinois State University; Willie Brown, State Farm Insurance Companies; Mayor Chris Koos, Town of Normal; Linda Lindus, The Pantagraph; Dave Magers, COUNTRY Insurance and Financial Services; Mayor Steve Stockton, City of Bloomington; Mike Sweeney, McLean County Board; and Dick Wilson, Illinois Wesleyan University. Members of the CDC are asked to support the campaign by:
Members of the Campaign Development Council will also be invited to attend the “Navigating a New Direction/The Best is Yet to Come” Community Leadership Breakfast as a campaign guest. The breakfast, held in conjunction with The Pantagraph, will be the official kickoff of the campaign. Renowned speaker and economist Dr. Barry Asmus will be talking about our economy and what we can do to increase our fortunes. Invitations for CDC members to the August 24th event will be sent in late July. Click here to see the letter the Campaign Development Council sent in support of our campaign. A special thanks goes out to our CDC members. |
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New program announcement - top of page Jeff Schwartz, mayor of Downs and EDC board member, has requested we send out this notice regarding a program being sponsored by the University of Illinois Extension, McLean County and the McLean County Diversity Project:
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The Economic Development Council of the Bloomington-Normal Area
3201 CIRA Drive - Suite 201
Bloomington, IL 61704
Phone: (309) 661-6332 • Fax: (309) 661-0743